PDG B-5: PROJECT MANAGEMENT TOOLS

Project Management Guidance: For a project to meet its goals, stay on budget, and adhere to deadlines, there must be a strong plan in place for management and accountability of project activities. Project managers must track outcomes and deliverables, be aware of potential risks to project performance, and ensure appropriate staffing and resources are available to fulfill the project needs. In projects such as the PDG B-5 grant, with different activities and a multitude of tasks and components within each, many grantees have found a need for a tool to help them track project work. This document provides a breakdown of some of the project management tools available, along with brief descriptions for each.

• Project Planning Software – Allows both managers and stakeholders to map out and visualize a project's critical path, or the sequence of activities and tasks required to complete a project and the duration of those tasks and the way they relate to one another. • Software – Enables users to organize and manage tasks and various aspects of each task, such as status, timeline, priority, update notifications, and resource allocation. • Project Tracking Software – Allows managers to compare project metrics, such as costs, schedules, deliverables, personnel, and estimates made during the planning of the project. • Collaboration Software – Enables multiple users to communicate, conference, and coordinate among themselves to facilitate group work and allows different users to work simultaneously on the same set of files by updating in real time. • Dashboard Software – Connects data throughout a project and consolidates the information into digestible visualizations to help decision- makers come to intelligent conclusions.

The software applications and tools identified below are not an exhaustive list of platforms available, and these tools are not being endorsed by PDG B-5. Each grantee must identify the functions and tools that best align with their project work. Costs will vary depending on the product functions and capabilities. Interested grantees may wish to explore applications that allow potential users an opportunity to explore the tools and functions for no cost prior to purchase.

Tools with Feature Lists and Descriptions Company and Link Features* Description** • Project Planning ActiveCollab is an integrated project management and collaboration tool that combines task ActiveCollab • Task Management management, time tracking, and billing into one application. Its planning and organizational https://activecollab.com/ • Project Tracking tools streamline and automate processes by linking time records with invoicing and a payment • Collaboration gateway for more accurate billing. The program helps organize projects, tasks and files in one • Dashboard place. • Project Planning is a software-as-a-service designed to improve team collaboration and work • Task Management management. It helps teams manage projects and tasks in one tool. Teams can create projects, Asana • Project Tracking assign work to teammates, specify deadlines, and communicate about tasks in Asana. It also https://asana.com/ • Collaboration • Dashboard includes reporting tools, file attachments, and calendars, along with additional features.

PDG B-5: PROJECT MANAGEMENT TOOLS 1 Company and Link Features* Description**

• Project Planning focuses on making project management more streamlined. Primary features • Basecamp Task Management include to-do lists, milestone management, forum-like messaging, file sharing, and time • Collaboration (no real- tracking. It proposes to increase accountability by helping teams communicate more efficiently, https://basecamp.com/ time updates to third- party documents) and enables users to organize people, delegate tasks, and monitor progress.

Evernote is an application designed for note taking, organizing, task lists, and archiving. It • Collaboration allows users to create notes (which can be formatted in text), web pages, photographs, voice https://evernote.com/ • Dashboard memos, or handwritten "ink" notes. Notes can also have file attachments, be sorted, tagged, annotated, given comments, searched, and exported.

• Project Planning FunctionFox is a cloud-based time tracking and project management application, offering • Task Management timesheets and estimates, as well as scheduling, task assignment, and reporting. It can support FunctionFox • Project Tracking an unlimited number of clients and projects and allows users to track project costs, expenses, https://www.functionfox.com/ • Collaboration project estimates, and quotes and budgets. Its to-do lists offer automated email alerts and users • Dashboard can run reports on clients, personnel, expenses, estimates, and more.

Groupsite is a collaboration website for groups. It enables groups to communicate, share, and • Collaboration Groupsite network. It features listservs, collaboration software, and social networks that empower groups https://groupsite.com/ • Dashboard to communicate, share, and network. It is a multi-purpose social collaboration platform.

• Project Planning Hive is a cloud-based project management platform offering features, such as file sharing, task • Task Management management automation, and chat. It allows users to create, classify, and assign tasks to Hive • Project Tracking members of a team, assign due dates, and attach files. The system allows you to track project https://hive.com/ • Collaboration status and modify items and variables. The software connects with popular cloud storage for • Dashboard easy file access, sharing, and collaboration. • Project Planning Monday is a collaboration and communication app for teams. It syncs information in a single, • Task Management accessible hub, and empowers agents and team members to make decisions together. Monday Monday • Project Tracking focuses on streamlining contribution and assembling and displaying progress data in a logical https://monday.com/ • Collaboration • Dashboard manner, making it possible for team members to keep track of projects and common operations.

Proggio is a project management software that focuses on collaboration and teamwork. It is Proggio • Task Management built for projects both long-term (highly integrated projects) and short-term (continuous stream https://www.proggio.com • Project Tracking of deliveries). It allows teams to view tasks, schedules, and priorities. Managers can plan steps, monitor progress, and manage budget, resources, and manpower.

• Project Planning Project Insight is a web-based project management software for teams. This software can serve • Task Management as a centralized hub to delegate tasks, monitor productivity, and collaborate with team Project Insight • Project Tracking members. The platform allows for project prioritization, resource allocation, collaboration, and https://www.projectinsight.net/ • Collaboration • Dashboard reporting on project performance.

Company and Link Features* Description**

• Project Planning ProjectManager is a cloud-based project management system that combines project planning ProjectManager • Task Management and scheduling features with collaboration tools for teams. This system allows users to create https://www.projectmanager.com/ • Project Tracking new projects, plan out and schedule tasks, allocate resources and assets, and monitor progress • Dashboard of all projects from a project dashboard.

• Project Planning Smartsheet is a web-based collaboration tool for project management, team task management, • Task Management crowdsourcing, and sales pipeline tracking. It offers programs a way to collaborate on projects

SmartSheet • Project Tracking and processes and is accessible from any browser and device. Smartsheet works like a https://www.smartsheet.com/ • Collaboration spreadsheet and allows for visual timeline management, collaborative file sharing and • Dashboard discussions, and automated workflow capabilities.

Trello is a project management and collaboration system. utilizes the concept of boards • Task Management (which correspond to projects) and cards (which correspond to tasks). The cards can track the Trello • Collaboration progress of a project or organize activities. A few features include activity logs, voting features, https://trello.com/en-US • Dashboard in-line editing, data filtering, and deadline reminders.

• Task Management Vabotu is a team messaging and collaboration application for teams. It allows for instant Vabotu • Collaboration messaging, task boards, and is designed to increase efficiency and streamline collaboration. https://vabotu.com/ • Dashboard Additional features include note functions, calendar, and virtual, public, and private workspaces.

• Project Planning Wrike is an online project management software designed to improve the speed and efficiency • Task Management of work in both co-located and distributed groups. Wrike enables multifunctional groups to Wrike • Project Tracking collaborate from a single location. The service allows teams to schedule, prioritize, discuss, and https://www.wrike.com • Collaboration • Dashboard keep track of both work and progress in real time. • Project Planning Zoho Projects is a project management software designed to streamline the process of project • Task Management management and provide real-time tracking of productivity. This software allows teams to Zoho Projects • Project Tracking monitor progress and changes made to the project and tasks. Additional features include https://www.zoho.com/projects/ • Collaboration • Dashboard invoicing, budgeting, resource utilization, dashboards, and others. *Based on report from the company or PDG B-5 staff interpretation of features per the website. **Product descriptions from Finances Online: Reviews for Business. https://reviews.financesonline.com/.

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